Broken
by Sue-the-lunatic
Summary: She didn't know why but her life was an disaster.. Rick wasn't himself anymore, can he change?And what will Alex do to fix his family?AU Ch 10 up! Please RR
1. Hell

Chaper 1: Evelyn and Rick  
  
Evelyn O'Connell sat in her rocking chair and slowly teetered . It was quiet, the fire in the fireplace crackled and the wind wailed round the house. She was all alone, apart from her children nobody was there. Her brother Jonathan, who lived with them since three months now, had gone out with his new girlfriend.  
  
And Rick.. well, she couldn't tell where he was. Probably he'd went to one of his favourite pubs to get plastered and some time in the first light of dawn he would return.  
  
She sighed and stood up to look once again after her children before she wanted to go to sleep herself. She crept through the stairwell and carefully opened the door of the child's room. On tiptoe she went to the bed and bent over her sleeping daughter.  
  
Her young seemed so peaceful but at the same time it showed care. Evy smiled melancholy, covered her with the blanket and kissed her forehead softly. „Good night Sweetie", she whispered and left the room as quickly as possible because she didn't want to wake her up.  
  
Then she entered the room next door which belonged to her son. When she saw the empty bed, she let her eye travel until she noticed that he was at his desk. He'd fallen asleep on top of his books and his head rested on a pile of magazines. Smiling she went up to him and stroke his cheek gently.  
  
He woke up with a start and rubbed his eyes sleepily and then he noticed his mother. „Mom"? He asked surprised.  
  
She sighed. „You fell asleep Alex. Come on,. Go to bed, it's late", she said and he nodded. Then he looked out of the window and tried to catch a view of the garage to see if it was still empty.  
  
„Is Dad already back Mom? He promised me to come to my lecture which I'm giving tomorrow at school. He'll come, won't he", he asked and looked at her entreating and she shallowed the tears that began to fill her eyes. In this moment she hated her husband for she knew he wouldn't fullfill his promise and he would hurt his son again.  
  
„I'm sure he will Alex. Your father wouldn't want to miss your lecture about egypt, not for anything in the world", she lied althought she knew she was giving him false hope. But maybe Rick would come.. maybe just once.  
  
Alex smiled and stood up. He took the book, his father had given him at his 12th birthday and pressed it to his chest. „I read it through over and over again and there is every worth knowing fact about egypt in it. It's gonna be great to tell my class of it", he said and beamed.  
  
„I'm sure. But now get some rest, you need to be slept off, alright"? He nodded and she kissed his forehead. „Good night Alex. Sleep well".  
  
Then she shut the door behind herself and leaned against it gasping. This was hell, this was unable to bear. Her family was breaking apart and she wasn't able to to anything against it. She knew Rick wouldn't come and she knew it would break Alex's heart. He loved his father idolatrous and althought Rick'd disappointed him many times before, he was always hoping that this time his Dad wouldn't turn him down. A loud sob escaped her mouth and she quickly covered it with her hand. Then she stormed up the stairs and threw herself on her bed. She cried out loud and pressed her face into her pillow.  
  
She couldn't understand any of this. Her life was a disaster. And she had to figure out why it had become this way. But she already knew the answer and it hurt to realize that after all it was as much her fault as it was Rick's. She shook her head. Thinking about it pained her, she didn't want to think about it again. Once she would start, these thoughts would chase her for the rest of the week.  
  
When she heard footsteps coming up the stairs, she whipped away the tears. Quickly she jumped up and opened the door and... faced Rick. He looked at her with tired eyes and she stumpled back, making space so he could get in. He entered the room and let himself fall on the bed. She watched him carefully because she knew that when he was drunk he easily got violent-tempered and irritated.  
  
"Tomorrow is Alex's lecture about egypt, ya know that right? He told me you promised him to come", she said quietly.  
  
Rick starred at her and nodded and she realized that he wasn't drunken today. "I know but I'm not going to be able to come", he replied.  
  
"What? What do you mean? Rick, please I beg you. You promised him and he's so exciting about you coming to hear him", she pleaded.  
  
He sighed and rubbed his chin. "I know Evy, I know. But I've got something to do. It's not my fault I can't come".  
  
"You've got something to do? What? Damn he's your son Rick and it's gonna break his heart. Again. You can't do that", she yelled upset about his impudence. It made her furious that he didn't want to understand.  
  
But he starred at her with this big, painfilled eyes and then he suddenly jumped up and grabbed her arm. "Damn Evy! You really think I don't know that? Fuck.. it's not my fault, okay? Stop blaming me for it!"  
  
She struggled. "You Liar! What do you have to do? Get drunk, have fun with some other woman"? She asked quietly, spitting the words in his face.  
  
And regretted it as soon as she saw his hurt expression. His eyes filled with bitter tears and he shook her hard. "Is that what you think? You really think I'm cheating on you while my little boy is having his big day? Do you really believe I'm such a asshole. Talk.. speak with me", he screamed.  
  
She flinched back. "Let me go Rick! You're hurting me.. you are hurting me Rick", she yelled. He stared at her and when he let her go he saw her arm turning blue. Terrified he stumpled back. He had hurt her. To that it had come yet. He was hurting the only woman he truly loved. Sick of himself he stormed to the door and ran out of the room and when he raced to the garage he almost bumped in his son who stepped out of his way quickly. Then he jumped in his car, turned the key and drove away as fast as he could.  
  
Alex watched him and his eyes filled with heavy tears. "Dad"? He quietly whispered and all of sudden his sister appeared by his side. Her face was pale and full of fear. He whipped away his tears and knelt in front of her. "Hey Sarah! What are you doing here? Why aren't you asleep"?  
  
"Mom and Dad were screaming so loudly that I awoke", she said and grabbed his hand. "Where did Daddy go? He's going to be back, isn't he Alex"?  
  
Alex shallowed and looked down. To be honest he didn't know the answer to that question and he feared it as well. His parents were fighting a lot since.. well since the death of.. .it. He wanted to think about it as a netrum, as a thing. Because all he felt for it was pure hate, it had destroyed his family.  
  
There was time when he'd loved it as much as his parents but that was before it had died and before his parents started hating and fighting each other.But nevertheless the fights were never this bad that one of them left the house like this. And that scared the shit out of him.  
  
Suddenly Evy appeared behind them and Alex saw that she'd been crying. Her face was red, swollen and wet. He jerked a bit because he knew his mother didn't cry often only when something really bad happened. "Your father is going to be back", she started and Sarah sighed relieved.  
  
"But we won't be here anymore when he does", she ended her sentence. Alex stared at her confused. "What do you mean?" She sniffed and whipped away a single tear that rolled down her cheek. She wouldn't start a discussion about that right now, she'd made her decision.  
  
When Rick'd stormed out of their room she'd realized that this drama went way too far and that she had to stop it immendiately. Even if that meant that she had to leave the only man she loved and that she had to take their children away from him.  
  
"Go in your room and pack your bag. Clothes and your school books. If there's enough space you can also take a few toys with you", she answered and took Sarah's hand.  
  
"Come on Sarah, let's pack your bag, okay"? Her daughter nodded, she understood her mother wasn't in the mood for explanations.  
  
But Alex didn't want to give up too soon. He didn't want to go, he wanted to wait for his Dad to sort everything out. "But.. Mom! I can't .. my lecture", he stuttered and hoped that this would change her mind.  
  
She sighed and looked at him lovely. "I'm sorry Alex but you won't be able to give your lecture tomorrow but I'm sure you can do that a few days later, alright? We'll talk about that later", she said. She knew she had to stay tough now, even if her son would hate her for it.  
  
Sarah looked at her with wide open eyes. Now her brother had made the start she wanted to ask a few questions too. "Where are we going Mom,? And why can't Dad come with us?" She couldn't, didn't want to understand this.  
  
"We're going to visit Aunt Kate and stay with her a few days. And then we'll see what will happen. But no matter what happens after that I promise you that it's going to alright Sweetie", she said quietly.  
  
But Alex shook his head. "It's not.. nothing is going to be alright! You want to take us away from Dad and we'll never see him again. But I don't want to leave him. I.. I don't want to", he yelled and the tears streamed down his cheeks now.  
  
"I want him back Mom. I want my old Dad back..", he cried. "I want to see him laugh again.. I want to hear his jokes and his stories about his adventures. I want him to kiss you, to yell at me, to throw Sarah in the air. I want him to love me again, why did he stop loving me Mom"? He sobbed.  
  
She let her daughter go and ran up to his son, wrapping her arms around him. She buried her face in his shoulder and stroke his back. "Oh Alex. My dear little Alex. Your father loves you. He loves you more than everything in the world and he never stopped loving you. Never! But your fathers has great problems with himself and God and me and he has to figure it out before we can be together again", she cried and pulled Sarah closer as well.  
  
"But I promise you that it's going to be okay. We're going to be a happy family again", she said. "But you have to trust me. I'll figure out how to help your Dad, okay"?  
  
Her children nodded quickly. She smiled faintly. "Okay. And now let's pack our things". Alex took a deep breath, knowing that today wasn't the time for fighting with his mother about leaving. He took his sister's hand in his. "Come on Sarah. I'm gonna help you", he said and together they went back into the house, leaving Evy alone.  
  
Evy whipped away her tears and took a deep breath. And she prayed, she prayed to God that she would be able to fullfill the promise she'd just given her children. She had made the start and now it was Rick's turn to change something. He had to get over the tradegy that happened in their past, he had to get control over his feelings of guilt and his problem with alcohol. And maybe.. maybe if he would be able to solve his problems then maybe he would start loving her again just like she loved him. And maybe she would get the happy-end she needed so badly.  
  
A/N: Okay, this is my first Mummy fic, I hope you like it. And sorry about my many mistakes I'm german and my english isn't that well. Please review!! 


	2. Benjamin Duncan

Chapter 2:  
  
A/N: I'm sooo sorry I needed so long for this chapter but I was really busy. I want to thanks you all so much for your reviews, I loved them. Thanks, thanks, thanks. Okay, so here's chapter 2, and again it isn't beta- read so sorry about my grammar mistakes. And I really hope I won't disappoint you.  
  
Meanwhile in some dirty pub:  
  
Rick sighed quietly and stared into the emptiness ,lost in thought. Slowly the alcohol began to take effect, it began to numb his senses. The latest events didn't seem that bad anymore. And the pounding pain in his heart was covered by a numb feeling. But although he began to feel better, the alcohol didn't take effect as quickly and trouble free as usual and even his taste was different today. It tasted bitter and rancid and his tongue went dry.  
  
Exhausted he held up his hand to signalize that he wanted another beer. In his heart of hearts he was tore up. One the one hand side his mind was screaming that he had to stop, that he needed to think to find a solution. But one the other hand side he wanted to forget as fast as possible and wanted this feeling to stay long enough.  
  
Suddenly a stranger let himself fall in the seat beside him and looked at him curiously. At first Rick didn't notice him but then the stranger began to talk.  
  
"You look pretty messed up buddy. What happened"?  
  
Rick looked up surprised and a little irritated  
  
. "Oh yeah I forgot. I'm Benjamin Duncan but call me Ben", the man yelled and stretched out his hand. Rick shook it , he didn't want to be impolite and then he starred at his beer again. He really didn't feel like having small talk right now. But it wasn't that easy to get rid of Ben.  
  
"You've got a name too"?  
  
He looked up and sighed. "Rick", he answered and hoped that Ben would shut up now. But far from it, he had just started.  
  
"What happened Rick? Looks to me like you could use a listener. And within a radius of 10 miles I'm the best one you can get", he said and beamed.  
  
Rick looked up and stared at him a few minutes, something about his eyes made him shiver. It was like they forced him to open his mouth and before he could think about it he began to speak.  
  
"Hurt my Evy", Rick muttered quietly. Actually he didn't want to talk about it but the words just kept on slipping out. "I didn't want to. I just grabbed her cause I wanted her to listen to me. I didn't want to hurt her".  
  
Ben watched him interested. "Did you have a fight"?  
  
He nodded slowly. "Tomorrow, well today.. my little boy gives his lecture in school and I promised to come. But I can't.. and when I told her this she freaked out. She asked me if I cheated on her". He mumbled and groaned slightly when he started remembering the night.  
  
"And do you"? Ben asked totally matter-of.- factly.  
  
Rick whirled around and his heart started to beat madly. He stared at him furious "Of course I don't. I love her.. more than everything in the world.. I would never do that. I can't think of a reason why she would thought something like that", he stated angrily.  
  
Ben waited, he didn't say a word. And then Rick realized that there were plenty of reasons for her to believe that. Their marriage had been hell lately.. they hadn't spoken more than a few words to each other a day. There was a time when she had tried.. when she'd wanted to talk to him but he'd pushed her away.. as far away from him as possible. And now she was.. she so far away that he couldn't reach her anymore.  
  
It was like Ben had read his mind because he suddenly touched his arm and his voice was soft when he asked his next question. "What happened Rick? What happened that you two became like that"?  
  
And Rick looked up and began to speak. As he did his eyes lightened up. He told him about their meeting and their adventure and how they had met years ago. He even smiled when he spoke about Alex and Sarah's birth and when he remembered how happy they'd been, a slight sigh escaped his lips. How much he wished he could go back there. But then his story reached a certain point and his eyes grew dark and his face paled.  
  
And when he opened his mouth again, his voice was filled with so much sorrow and grief it hurt Ben to listen.  
  
"And then.. she was pregnant again. It would have been our third child.. another boy. Alex and Sarah were joyful that they would get a little brother. But then the day came.. the day that changed everything.. the day I destroyed my family..", he whispered and his voice broke.  
  
Ben reached for his arm but pulled it back when he saw his painful face. "What happened that day"?  
  
"It was a Sunday.. I still remember how warm and sunny it was. We were on our way back home from one of our weekend picnics. I was driving.. Evy by my side and the kids sitting in the backseat..", he stopped and took a deep breath.  
  
He hadn't spoken about this since it had happened. With no one, not even Evy. He had forced himself to suppress it, to hid it deep inside of his heart so it could never hurt him again. But now there was no turning back and he knew that and so he slowly continued his story.  
  
"There was car.. coming from the side street towards us.. he was drunk.. that the police told us later.. and he was so fast, I saw him too late. I tried to stop, I tried to get out of his way.. but I couldn't.. I failed..", he said Ben needed to take a deep breath. He wasn't dumb, he knew exactly what would follow next but he remained still.  
  
"I can't remember much after this.. I woke up at the hospital.. but I wasn't hurt at all.. a few scratches and a nasty gash on the forehead that was all. The kids were with me, they were fine just completely shocked. They cried.. and cried.. and I couldn't make them stop... The doctor told me that Evy was badly hurt and that she may not survive. I.. I think she was in a coma for a few days but I can't remember this time at all. It's all blurry and .. and I guess it's better that way around...well, however Evy survived.. of course she did, she always did.. but .. but..", he broke off and looked down.  
  
Ben swallowed and finished the sentence. "You lost the baby", he whispered quietly.  
  
Rick just nodded. He didn't cry and he hadn't cried when the baby died. The grief and the shock were hidden deep inside of his soul and chased him every damn day. The tears were hiding behind his eyes and it hurt because they wanted out, they wanted to flow but he forced them to stay where they were.  
  
Ben slowly nodded and then continued the story. "I guess I know what happened after that. You lost control and looked for help in this damn stuff"; he said and pointed at the beer. "Did she cried a lot?"  
  
Rick looked up and nodded. "Day in, day out. I couldn't bear it any longer to see her suffer because of me and so I fled. And it's getting worse every damn day. I mean she isn't crying anymore but she hates me. For being drunk all the time, for letting her alone and for not caring for our children".  
  
"But you love your kids, don't you"? Ben asked although he already knew the answer.  
  
"Of course I do! I love them so much it hurts, I love them more than everything in the world. I wouldn't know what to do if I would lose them, I couldn't bear that. But they hate me as well because I'm not there for them, because I'm breaking all my promises and because I'm lying all day. But sometimes when I get home late.. I creep into their room and watch them sleeping. They look so peaceful, like angels. But then I hear Sarah cry and it breaks my heart.. and then I get plastered to forget it", he answered truthfully.  
  
Ben cleared his throat and stood up. Rick stared at him panicked. He couldn't leave not like this, not after he had poured his heart out to him. "Hey.. wait! Where are you going"?  
  
"I'm not needed anymore Rick", he said and grabbed his jacket.  
  
"What do you mean? Of course you're needed.. I need you tell me what to do.. I need you to tell me how to figure this out.. I don't know what to do", he yelled.  
  
Ben laughed, took Rick's beer and shook his head. "It's not working this way Rick. I was here so you could finally realize why things became like that. You know what's wrong, don't you? You know that you have to end this because if you won't, it's going to kill you.. and your family".  
  
"But.. but me knowing this, doesn't helps me at all. I mean.. it doesn't tell me how to make it okay again.. I don't know how to make it alright again. How can I fix these things.. how can I fix a family that is broken because of me"?  
  
Ben smiled slightly. "I know this won't help you at all but this accident wasn't your fault and the death of your child wasn't neither. And the very first thing you have to do is to believe that. When you truly realize that you aren't guilty, you'll be able to handle the rest, too".  
  
And then he nodded one last time and disappeared as fast as he had appeared. Rick stared at the now closed door and was too surprised to say anything. But then the barkeeper appeared and brought him back to life.  
  
"Hey buddy", he said.  
  
"What"? He jerked and looked up confused.  
  
The barkeeper pushed the beer closer to him. "Here, you wanted to have that", he said. Rick stared at the yellow liquor, that seemed to cry out for him, a long time and then he shook the head.  
  
The barkeeper groaned and began to swear. "It's always the same. When this Benjamin Duncan appears it happens all the time. The people stop drinking beer and I never see them again in my pub. I should throw him out next time he's coming in. What is he doing with you guys, did he brainwash you"? He asked but when Rick didn't answer he left still hissing.  
  
Rick hadn't listened to a single word he had said. His mind was too messed up right now, he couldn't think about anything else but about the things that he had learnt in this one hour he had spent with Ben.  
  
He took a deep breath and rubbed his face. And then he did something he hadn't done in ages. He started thinking, seriously and with the wish to find a solution for his problems. He knew that all this had to stop, he had to stop it. He tried to recall the times when he had been fully happy with his family and his wish and need to have that again, grew and grew.  
  
.And after 3 hours intensive thinking his face started to beam. And for the first time since many months he could smile again. Not a happy, carefree smile but one that showed hope.  
  
The barkeeper watched him head shaking when he left the pub in a good mood. And this time it wasn't because of the alcohol. It because he now knew exactly what to do and it made him feel whole again.. like he would slowly win back his control.  
  
At first he would go to Evy, telling her he was sorry about last night and then he would talk with her about all the things that went completely wrong in their life. And then he would pick up Sarah and Alex and would take them in the park. There he would talk with them as well, apologizing for his bad behaviors and begging them to give him a second chance. He would try to become a better father again.  
  
"Sounds like a plan", he muttered contented. "Sounds like a good plan".  
  
A/N: Okay, I know this chapter sucked but I didn't know how to explain it better. Next part will be about Rick coming home finding his family gone. Please review so I know if I should continue or not. And I could really use a beta reader.. so if anyone wants to help me sent me email. Thanks! Bye Sue 


	3. Coming home

Chapter 3 Coming home  
  
A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, it means a lot to me. I hope you like this chapter and please review even more so that I know if i should continue writing.  
  
He parked his car and ran up to the door. He stared at it a few seconds, hestitated, not daring to step inside. He knew that this day would change everything but he didn't know yet if it was going to be good or bad. It would change his life and would make it better or.. worse.He took a deep breath and opened the door slowly.  
  
He stepped inside and the first thing he noticed was the silence.The silence that surronded him was oppressive and it made it hard to breathe. He quickly took a look at his watch, six o'clock in the morning. That meant that Alex and Sarah would be still at home and that Evy would be in the kitchen to make breakfast for them.  
  
But there was no sound coming from the kitchen, no toaster, no coffee maker noises and not a single word. Confused he looked around, the lower stage was like died out. It seemed peaceful and somehow that scared the shit out of him. Usually Alex and Sarah were running through the house, driving their parents crazy and when Evy finished making breakfast she used to sit in her rocking chair to read in one of her books. But today her chair was empty, today it was different.  
  
He felt his heart beating faster in his chest but he tried to calm himself down. He didn't know why but he felt terrible nervous and it caused his hands to tremble. Probably they had overslept, no wonder after this rough night. He went to his son's room and opened the door carefully. But when he switched the lights on he found the bed empty.  
  
The next thing he noticed was the wardrobe being almost empty as well. A few single clothes were still laying on the ground and most of toys were still there. But then he saw something that panicked him, that knocked the breath out of him. The empty cupboard above Alex's bed. He knew that Alex stored all his beloved things there, his most precious tresures, his books about egypt, photos of journeys to far away countries. But everything was gone and suddenly Rick started to realize that his son was gone as well.  
  
After he got over his first shock, he ran to the room next door. It wasn't any different as in Alex's room. A half empty wardrobe, missing photos and the dolls... Sarah's dolls were missing. Shocked he sank down on her bed. He tried to fight against it but he knew what had happened. His family was gone, his family had left him. Worse Evy had left him and had taken the children with her.  
  
Many minutes he sat there, aghast and helpless. He couldn't understand that, it just made no sense. Not after he had decided to change his life, to get a better father and husband. Not after he finally knew how much his family meant to him.That wasn't fair. But then it dawned on him...Evy had no idea of his change of mind. She had no clue and their last encounter probably wouldn't let her believe it either. All she knew was that everything had gone wrong that night and that he'd been acting like a real asshole.  
  
He jumped up. But nothing of that was a reason to pack her things and run away just like that. Especially not with the kids, they belonged to him as well, after all, didn't they? He hadn't been a good Dad lately but she had no right to steal his children away from him because of that, right?  
  
He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. If he lost control right now, everything would have been in vain, he probably would run to the next pub to get plastered. And that he didn't want to risk, not after he'd wasted so much time for looking for an answer to his problems.  
  
Slowly his rage and helplessness turned into calmness. He relaxed and sat down for a minute to think. Okay, his plan had been foiled but was that a reason to give up? No, it wasn't. Now he had to think again about what to do next and this time he didn't need too long for realizing that he couldn't do a thing but wait, at last for the moment. He had to wait for Evy to come back or for her to call him or anything. He was not a patient person and he knew that he would freak out if she was going to stay away longer.  
  
So, he stood up and walked into the kitchen. He hestiated a moment but then he began to search the closets. And then he finally found what he'd been looking for, a little calling card of a person, he simply described as shrimp. He remembered the day Evy had given it to him and how he'd throw it away in rage. But now he knew how wrong he'd been. It took a lot of braveness and will power for him to dial this number, it wasn't the way that Rick O'Connell usually choose to solve his problems. He was better at using his gun or a few knives to destroy whatever bothered him. But he knew that this time nothing of that would help him.  
  
He took a deep breath, reminded himself why he did this and dialed. And when the doctor was answering, he realized that he was doing the right thing."Dr Booger? It's Rick...O'Connell, Evelyn's husband. I...I think I could use a little help...Tomorrow? Yeah tomorrow is good.. tomorrow is great.''  
  
A/N: Okay, I hope you liked that. Thanks to Amy. My beta reader and please all of you, whoever read this, please review so that i can continue 


	4. Calling Dad

Chapter 4 Calling Dad

A week later:

Alex sat in the living room and watched camels that were passing the window. And in the background he could see the contours of a few pyramids. It was warm and sunny but around midday it was way too hot to be outside. His mother laid on the couch and read a book while Sarah was sitting on the floor, playing with her beloved dolls. He smiled slightly when the smell of pancakes reached his nose; Aunt Kate was great; she tried her best to distract them, to make them happy. She wanted them to feel at home.

But it didn't really work. Alex loved Egypt, God he really loved it and he loved visiting Aunt Kate here in Cairo but not this time. Everything seemed boring and uninteresting, Rick was missing; it wasn't the same anymore.

He sighed and his eyes traveled back to the phone like so often in these past days. He hankered after his father although not more than 7 days had passed since their hand over head escape. He wanted to see him, to hear him; he missed his low and scratchy voice as much as his deep and loving brown eyes. But he knew that his mother didn't intend to return home, not in near future. She pattered something of forbearing and he didn't like it because he realized that she needed much more time for that than he'd assumed.

That it was almost unbearable for him to be without his father didn't seem to be something she was really interested in. It almost drove him insane that she acted like Rick wouldn't exist, as he'd never been there before. It made him sad and angry. Well, okay his father had made a few mistakes lately but it wasn't his fault. It was the Baby's fault.

And now? He and Sarah were sitting around, their mother taught them and sometimes they wandered around in Cairo but even Evy, who loved Egypt more than anything else, couldn't enjoy it like usually. A part of her was missing but that she didn't want to admit. Alex sighed and this time his mother looked up.

"Hey Honey. what's the matter?" She asked and smiled slightly.

Alex turned around. „I want to see Dad.."he started but then he saw that her face hardened. „Or at least let me call him, I need to hear his voice", he quickly added.

Sarah looked up as well hearing that and she hastily nodded. "Yeah! Please Mommy", she said and her eyes shone by the thought of hearing her father's voice.

But Evy shook her head. "I already explained it to you. We're breaking the contact for a few weeks and then we'll see. That means to visits, no calling, all right? Try not to think about him", she answered.

Mentally she laughed hardly. Forgetting Rick, how was that possible? It was nonsense and she knew that. The children would never stop thinking about their father and neither would she, they just weren't able to. She thought about him every minute, with every breath she took. It made her angry and despaired. How was she able to forbear while she saw him in front of her inner eyes, every damn second. She realized that that what she asked of her children was cruel and inhumanly but she just couldn't think of a way to do better. She didn't know what to do to make it better.

Alex stared at her angrily. "Try not to think about him? How do you think is this going to work Mom? Maybe you don't want to see him, maybe you think that having no contact to him will help but I don't want it and I don't think it's right. I want to see him or at least talk to him. To make sure, he's all right. We wouldn't even know if he's hurt or something in case that something happens. What happens if something happens to him"?

She sighed. "He's alright. I'm pretty sure of that. Your father can take care of himself and there's still Jonathan who would know how to contact us in case of a emergency but nothing will happen, so stop worrying", she replied and ignored the fact that she hadn't answered his request to call Rick.

"But Mommy..how can he be all right with us gone? He's missing us, isn't he"? Sarah said and looked at both of them in confusion. This was all too confusing; she didn't understand any of this.

"Well, maybe Sarah. But maybe he already forgot us, just like Mom forgot him. And maybe he's happy that we're gone", yelled Alex despaired. Evy jumped up and grabbed his arm, tears welling up in her eyes as well.

"That's not true Alex and you know that. I didn't forget him and he did neither. Of course he isn't happy that we're gone, he's missing you of that I'm sure. So stop saying such things Alex right now, especially in front of your sister", she yelled half angry half sad and ran out of the room.

Sarah watched her mother leave and her confusion grew even more. Then she turned around and looked her brother who stood there, his fist balled and his face flushed. "He do miss us, doesn't he Alex?" She knew that her mother had already said that but it would comfort her more to hear it from Alex. Her mother acted strange and it kinda scared her and right now everything that Alex said made more sense to her.

Alex looked at her and then at the phone. "Let's find that out".

At their mansion:

Rick stood humming in the kitchen and tried to create something that was at least a little eatable for him. Today had been his sixth session with Doctor Booger... and he felt good. Many months had passed since the last time he'd felt that way. Together with his shrimp, as he called him, he talked about the past year, his alcoholism and about the death of the baby. And even if he felt it hard to admit, it was good for him.

The past two days he'd tried to find a new job even if they had enough money for three families. But he longed for the change, for mental or physical effort. And when he closed his eyes he remembered the time when he'd been irresponsible and free, when he had used to solve all his problems with a few bullets and a gun. Before he had met Envy and before he had realized that life was precious, before he had known that he would get two children, which he would love so much that he would die for them.

A part of him missed the old Rick but he knew that this wild boy was still inside of him and he also knew that Envy and his children wanted him back as well. But that was the past and this was the present and right now it seemed almost impossible to be the wild and gusty O'Connell and a responsible and caring father at the same time.

H sighed and looked outside. In front of the house was standing their brand-new family car, which he had bought the day before. Doctor Booger had told him to solve the old car, which had so many bad memories hanging on him.

Yeah.. he was well.. better. Of course he missed his kids and Evy terribly and often he caught himself, staring at their photos but he knew that it had been good to do all this alone. It was his fault that he was in this shit and he would get out of it himself. He knew that it was a long way until he would have complete control over his alcoholism and he knew that his feelings of guilt wouldn't disappear just like that. But he also knew that now he was prepared to meet his family again, to look them into the eyes. Now he wasn't able to do anything besides waiting.

He smiles slightly and sighed deeply when the phone rang. He took the receiver; automatically assuming it would be his shrimp. "Hey Doctor Booger", he said cheerful.

But it remained quiet but he heard a slight nervous breathing. „Hello? Who is that"?

„Dad"? His eyes almost popped out of his head when he recognized the voice. His heart started to beat madly ion his chest.

„Alex? Is that you son? How are you, how are Sarah and your mother. Where are you"? He let out a nervous but happy laughter. Finally a message.

„We're fine.. what about you?"Rick sensed his son being nervous and sighed deeply. „I'm alright kid. Do you want me to tell you what I've done while you were gone"?

„I guess you had fun without us", Alex replied sad.

Rick quickly shook his head. „No, no Alex don't get this wrong. I miss you terrible, god I miss you so much. And I want nothing more than having you back at home", he said softly.

„I miss you too Dad. But Mom doesn't want us to see you; she doesn't want us to call you neither. But Sarah and me called you nevertheless. We needed to hear your voice.. because.. because we want to have you back Dad", he said quietly.

Rick smiled slightly. They really missed him. Maybe, maybe they didn't hate him that much. Maybe they would be able to forgive him. „Alex? Listen to me for a few seconds alright?"

„Okay", his son replied.

„Alex.. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that I can't even describe it. I just wish you'll be able to forgive me some day", he said. Some day, some day... seemed so far away. But what he'd done wasn't that easy to repair, it needed time.

But Alex didn't think so. „What are you apologizing for Dad"?

„You know what I mean. I was a bad father, I was drunk, I was fighting with your Mom and I made her sad, I didn't listen to you, I didn't joke with you anymore, I stopped coming to your lectures at school, I didn't tell you how much I love you, I didn't tell you that I'm proud of you. I missed you much and most of all I'm sorry that I lost control over me. Bad things happened but they happened to Evy as well and she never.. she never lost control. She was all that I needed to be", he said.

He heard his son sniffing quietly. „Dad? It's going to be okay, isn't it? It doesn't matters to me what happened. But please love Mommy again, make her happy again. Make that we can see you. I.. I just want to let you know that I'm not mad at you. I know it was the baby's fault... and I just want.. I just want you back. My old Dad, the one who laughed with me, the one who saved my neck in Amshere, the one who loved to have adventures? Do you think you can be that Dad again, please tell me that you are this Dad again", he replied and he cried a little while saying that.

Rick whipped away his tears as well and nodded. „God, Alex I love you and I promise you that I will be that Dad again. But you have to know that it wont happen that fast, it needs time. Wounds need time to heal. But I have someone who can help me and you're going to have everything that you had and that you want. That I swear to you, alright my son"?

He waited and while Alex thought over what he'd said. „Dad? Will you come to talk to Mom? I want to go back home but she wont let us without knowing that you changed."

„I'll talk to your mother, alright kiddo? Get her to the phone and I'll try to explain and together we're going to find a solution. Don't worry, I know your Mom and she's going to do what is best for herself and for you two", he replied and sighed deeply. Even if that meant that she would stay wherever she was right now. He wasn't going top press her into anything. If she said she wanted to keep away a little longer he wouldn't say anything against it. It was now her decision and he new that, it was up to her what would happen.

A few seconds later, he heard her voice and before she could say anything he interrupted her. "Evy.. honey is that you? Listen to me.. just for a few minutes and don't say anything before I'm finished. Just listen to wait I need to say and then you will decide what will happen next top our family", he started and she agreed without any hesitation.

And then he began to tell her about Doctor Booger and Benjamin Duncan and everything that he had realized and while telling her that.. he even felt a little bit proud of himself.

A/N: Okay, I really hope you like that. Please continue reviewing because I have no idea what you think about my fic and it's hard to keep writing without knowing that. And tell me what you think could happen next; I love getting a little inspiration. Thanks!


	5. Running away

Chapter 4 Running away

Alex sat on the couch and watched his mother talking to his dad. His heart started to beat madly in his chest when he saw the corner of her mouth turn into a small smile. He hadn't seen his mother smile for a long time and he knew that it was good. He already imagined what he would do at first as soon as he would arrive at home. He would call his friends telling them that he was back and that he'd been in Egypt visiting his aunt.

Sarah continued on playing with her dolls. Sometimes she looked up and watched her mother, not really realizing that this call would decide about the next time of her life and if she would spent it in a far away country or at home. But she saw the slight smile as well and it caused a warm feeling to flood into her stomach. For the first time since long weeks she felt save again, now that her mother wasable to smile again,everything would get better.

Evelyn opened her mouth to answer to a question when she noticed Alex who stared at her lips, waiting for her to speak even more. She couldn't help but smile by that sight,Alex was just as curious as his father. "Alex, Sarah.. could you wait outside, please. There are a few things that I have to talk over with your father", she said and pointed at the door.

Sarah nodded and took her dolls, she didn't even think about objecting but Alex did. He opened his mouth to protest, he didn't want to leave now. This was his life, and his family, they were talking about after all. But then he saw the firm expression his mother carried and groaning he left the room.

Evelyn sighed deeply and turned back. "Okay, Rick". He again asked something and she stayed silent for a moment. She took a deep breath and thought about what to answer now. She knew that this answer decided how her life would be for the next few weeks. And not only her life but that of her children's as well. Would Alex be here, he would know exactly what to reply. He loved his father and it didn't matter to him that he had made mistakes. The love he felt for his father was unconditional and nothing could disturb this love, nothing at all.

She loved Rick as well but she was responsible for her children and she had to do what was right for them. God, how much she missed Rick and all she wanted to do was go back to him, kiss him and wrap her arms around him. She knew that these wounds she had, wounds that he had caused her over the past year, would need time to heal but he had made the first step to make her feel better again. She realized that he deserved to have them back, not only her but his children as well. He had worked so hard to change, to become a better husband and father and he fully deserved to be forgiven.

But she just couldn't tell him that. She hadn't control over her mouth and it worked on it's own. "Rick.. I thought about it... I think we.. especially you need some more time. I think maybe it's the best for our children to stay here a while longer. You have to understand.. bad things happened to them and the last they need is getting a heap of hopes on only to get disappointed again", she said quietly.

She held her breath while she waited for him to response. She expected him to get angry and disappointed. She thought he would yell at her, telling her that she wasn't being fair, that he had changed and that she was mean to held their children away from him any longer. But nothing like that happened. His voice was calm and soft and he completely agreed. He said something about being sad that they weren't going to come home but that he would fully understand her decision. He said he would use this time to go fully dry and that her would call her twice a week to tell her about his progresses with Doctor Booger.

She sighed again and realized that she had made the right decision. Rick could use a little more time alone to get himself under control. She couldn't expect this to happen in one week. She smiled slightly.

"I.. I..", she began, not knowing how to say this. She wasn't used anymore to the sound of these words she wanted to say. They sounded strange and weird, like something she hadn't said before.

But she didn't even have to say it because Rick understood her anyway. And he seemed completely overwhelmed and happy about it. A few years ago, it had been the most normal thing in their life but now it was something that meant the world to both of them. "I don't know how to thank you for giving me a second chance Evy. And I'll do my best to not disappoint you or our kids again. But I need you to know that I....", he said but she interrupted him.

"I know, Rick, I know. Call me in a few days alright and tell Doctor Booger I said hello", she said and her voice was soft and calm. God, how much time had passed since the last time she'd been able to talk to him like that? Calm and serious, without being scared that he could freak out or run away. It made her heart so much lighter and the relief she felt was greater than anything else. "Bye", she said and then she hung up slowly, knowing that this was it. This was what she had waited for so long. Her family would get fixed, somehow, not in the near future but some day. But to her some day didn't seem so far away anymore.

A few hours later:

Alex laid in his bed, tears streaming over his face. Sarah sat by his side, her eyes worried and confused. She softly caressed his back when her brother wept. She could fully understand why he was so upset.

After talking to their Dad, their mother had told them that they would stay in Egypt a while longer. She said something about, everything would get aright but their father still needed time and so needed she. But all these things didn't matter to Alex or to Sarah, all they bothered about was that they wouldn't get home to see their father. He would call, and they would be able to call him as well but that didn't help at all. Hearing his voice wasn't enough anymore, not since they almost reached the point to see him in flesh and blood.

Alex curled up into a ball and whipped his eyes, trying to get control over his emotions. He didn't like crying, his father was never crying, he was strong and brave. His father hadn't even cried when the baby died. But know he had acted like a wimp, he had allowed Evelyn to stay away even longer. Alex couldn't get this. The Dad he had known would get in his car and would drive up all the way to Egypt to get his family back home. But he knew that this time it wouldn't happen that way, Rick had been agreeing with his mother about them staying in Egypt. He shook his head, what the hell was wrong with his dad? He had thought that now everything would get the same again, that Rick would turn into his old self again. Okay, he now was the responsible and caring father and husband again but that was just one side of him,there was still a part of him missing. The part that loved adventures, that was stubborn and hardheaded, that thought that you could solve every problem with a gun and a few bullets. The part that Alex loved the most.

He thought a moment and suddenly an idea formed in his mind. He quickly stand up and almost pushed his sister of the bed with doing that. She looked at him surprised and when she saw his eyes flashing she realized that he was hatching a plot.

He smiled and took her hand. "I know something Sarah.. I know how to get our Dad back, the whole Dad not just a part of him and while doing that we get our parents back together", he whispered quietly and excited.

Sarah watched him confused when he jumped up, racing to his wardrobe. "Come on, go and pack your clothes", he ordered.

She nodded slightly and did so. She still didn't know what his idea was but she trusted him. He was her big brother and she couldn't remember that he'd ever made a wrong decision. He pulled everything in his backpack until it was full and then he helped his sister do so as well.

He looked outside into the clear dark night and he could feel his heart beating madly in his chest. This would be his adventure, his own little adventure. And after that he would be a hero just like his father had been one. "Grab your warm pullover Sarah, the nights in Egypt are really cold".

"Where are we going"? She finally asked and he looked at her; his eyes shining with pure excitement.

"We're going back to the pyramids where I was with Mom and Dad a few years ago. They are great, you'll love it", he said and she smiled.

"Wow", she breathed. She had always wished to see how a pyramides looked like on the inside. She just knew the things their parents and Alex had told her about their adventures. She 'd always been a little bit jealously that she hadn't been with them but now Alex would show her the world of the pharaohs and mummies. She would see it all in real. "Mom is not coming with us, isn't she"?

Alex shook his head. "No, she isn't. And because of that we have to be real quiet, alright. She mustn't hear us, she mustn't know where we are and that's the whole plan actually. As soon as she find us missing she will call Dad and he will get here. And while looking for us, they will fall in love again. And as soon as they're together again, they'll decide that they can't bear to ever be separated again and for finding us Dad has to find the missing part of his soul again. Do you understand? If he wants to have us back, he has to turn into the wild, brave and heroic gunfighter again. And then everything will be aright again, our family will be just like it had been before the baby died Sarah. Don't you want that too"?

Sarah quickly nodded. Oh yeah she wanted that as well, maybe she was a little to young to remember everything in the past but she still knew a few things that she missed. She missed their journeys in far away countries, she missed the Saturdays when their father used to take them into the woods to teach them how to survive in the nature. Or how the whole family went shopping in London.

It made sense to her what Alex said, well maybe not everything. Especially not the part of her Dad's missing soul, but she realized that Alex knew what he was doing. He would get their family back together and she would help him, even if that meant that she had to leave their mother for a while. She was a little bit scared when she thought of being alone out there, in the desert but then she looked at her brother who was so brave and powerful and the fear disappeared. Her would watch out for her, of that she was sure.

She laid her tiny hand in his and together she carefully crept out of the house and into their biggest adventure.


	6. Rick O'Connell is back

Chapter 5 Rick O'Connell is back

A/N: Finally, I'm back. I'm sooo sorry it took me so long for this to update but I had a lot of stress and trouble to deal with. This chapter is not beta read because my beta reader has problems with her computer. So sorry about my many mistakes. I really appreciate your many reviews, they helped me a lot. And I hope you'll like this chapter as well and that you review again!!

Evy stared out of the window, a faint smile upon her lips. Her best friend Kate watched her and had to smile too. "It's the first time I see you smile in all these days you've been here darling", she said.

She turned around and nodded slowly. "It's just like you've said.... everything is turning out to be alright. I don't know what changed Rick's mind but I'm glad for it".

Kate turned her head to the door that belonged to the room of the kids. "He finally stopped crying.. poor little Alex. God, he loves Rick so much, even after all these things he did", she sighed.

"Well, he's coming after me", she just answered matter-of-factly and her friend understood what she meant. For Evelyn it was hard to say it out loud that she still loved Rick. She couldn't believe it herself. Rick had changed so much but deep inside she had known all the time that he had stayed the same. His behavior had changed, that was out of question but in his soul, he was still Rick O'Connell in whom she fell in love with. And nothing would be able to make her stop loving this part of him.

"I just hope Alex is not too mad at me", she thought out loud.

Kate smiled slightly. "He's really upset but some day he will thank you for this and he'll understand that more time was good for his father. But for the next days, I can assure, he'll try his best to show you how much he hates you", she answered and laughed quietly.

Evys heart sank when she heard that. She hated the thought of Alex being mad at her. She loved this boy so much it hurt and she needed him right now, to support her, to be like his father, to remind her why her decision was right. "I guess I'm going to take a look after them and bring Sarah into bed", she said and stood up.

She knocked softly but no one answered. She leaned her forehead against the cold door and sighed deeply. "Alex? Sarah? It's me Mom. I know you're mad at me but please, can I come in?"

Still no answer. She knocked again and wondered why Sarah didn't opened. Sarah always listened to her mother and she hated it when she and Alex fought. But Evy also knew that she looked up to her elder brother and when he told her to shut her mouth and not open the door, she wouldn't.

"Okay.. I come in now kids. We need to talk!"

And with that she opened the door. She hadn't even switched the lights on but she already knew that something was wrong. And when bright light flooded through the room, she realized that her feelings could be trusted. The first thing she noticed was the open window that let cold air inside. She stepped forward and closed it. She took a deep breath and then she saw the empty beds. At first she thought that maybe she was mistaken, that she was in the wrong room. But no, on the floor there were Sarah's dolls.

This sight almost gave her an heart attack. She leaned against the wall to steady herself. Kate had watched her and now she came closer. "Evelyn? What's going on"?

"They're gone", she pressed out and her heart stared to beat madly in her chest. Alex and Sarah were gone. The fear choked her and left her breathless, her mind was all messed up. Her first thought was that they were kidnapped, that wouldn't be too strange, not after all these things they'd already experienced. But then she saw the missing suitcases and their missing clothes... and suddenly she knew what had happened. Her children had run away.

Meanwhile in London:

Rick opened the door and stepped into the study, a room he had never used. Books and stuff like that had never interested him very much. The room was dusty and musty. It was obvious that it wasn't used often.

He switched the lights on but the light didn't make it any better. He couldn't help it but he didn't like this room. But Doctor Booger had told him to do it, well not to get into this room in particular but to do something he never used to do. He had told him to start something new and he had helped him to get a new job at a school near London. And now he needed a study to prepare for his lessons. He looked around and sniffed.

"That's not me", a voice resounded in his head. But he was successful in repressing it. It's time to change buddy, he told himself. Put the gun and the bullets away and become a responsible and dependable father and then Evy will come back.

And then he started to tidy up the room and while doing that, he already imagined what it would be like to sit there every evening, correcting tests and other stuff. He stopped and sighed deeply. God, now this picture was burned in his mind and it was awful. He'd never wanted to be like this. That didn't mean he didn't want to be a good and caring father, but he'd never wanted to be like everybody else. He'd wanted to teach his children useful things, things that would help them survive in the real world, not in the world of books. That was Evy's world and she would make sure they would learn all the things she thought were necessary.

He let go of the books in his hands and sat down. And now? God, how much he longed to speak to Evy now, to tell her his problems, to hear her opinion. Sometimes he had the feeling that she knew him even better than he did himself. But he couldn't call her now. It would look like he wouldn't even be able to tidy up a room without her help and she surely didn't want to go back to someone who was this dependent and unstable.

But before he could think of anything else the phone ringed. He picked up, wondering who would call him this late.

"Hello?"

"Rick"?

His heart stopped. It was Evy. But not alone the fact that it was her made his heart jump but also the sound of her voice. Something was wrong, he could hear it.

"Evy? Is something wrong?"

"They're gone Rick.. they're gone", she sobbed.

He didn't have to ask whom she was talking about. He gasped at the thought of something happening to Alex and Sarah. His heart hammered in his chest, almost knocking him down. Why them? Why were these things always happening to them, to his family? Hadn't they gone through enough shit and trouble?

"What do you mean they're gone? Where are they? What happened?" The questions bubbled out of him, he couldn't stop himself. He needed to know everything or it would kill him.

"I'm sorry Rick.. I'm so sorry. Alex was so mad at me because I decided we would stay longer... and he run away and took Sarah with him.. I'm sorry", she cried.

Hearing her cry, he knew that he needed to support her. He hated to hear her cry, it was a sound that sent pain through his whole body. "Shh.. it's alright Sweetie.. it's alright. Calm down and take a deep breath Honey. They're okay, I'm sure. Alex is smart and he will take good care of his sister and he would never endanger her and you know that. Our kids will be just fine", he said.

She sniffed and slowly she calmed down. That was something that amazed him over and over again. She was so strong and brave and that was one reason why he loved her so much. "Call the police and I'll come as soon as I can. Don't worry, I'll get them back. I promise", he said. He didn't want to promise anything but the words just left his mouth and they seemed to comfort her a little.

She was quiet for a moment and then she answered. "Do you remember... when the Mummy kidnapped Alex? You promised me you bring him back to me", she said.

"And I did, didn't I?"

"Yeah.. yeah you did", she said and he could hear her smile slightly.

"And I'll again Hon. Relax, I'm on my way", he stated and then he hung up.

Then he paused for a moment. But how? How would he bring them back? He didn't know where they were, where they would go. He had no clue. But suddenly he realized that it didn't matter. Since when did it such questions bother him? The old O'Connell never asked after the how but just did it. But would he be able to get back to this old self?

That wasn't this easy. The last time he had had an adventure, was after Sarah's birth when Evy stole an ancient ring which unfortunately had an curse laying upon it. And all the other years nothing exciting happened. He hadn't missed the danger and the fear to much, not with Alex and Sarah by his side who caused him enough trouble. But still during this years, the wild and brave part of him, managed to have a few adventures every now and again. And Alex loved him for it, he loved to hear from all these exciting things and he loved when the whole family went to far away countries. But this all stopped when the baby died. The best part of his soul died, the part that never gave up, that never let someone down, the part that made Rick.. Rick. Now, he was nothing more than an translucently hull, a shadow of his old self.

He sighed. But how would he be able to win the part back that was missing? His look wandered around and stopped at a particular spot. He slowly opened the door to a room, he had promised himself he would never ever enter again. He switched the lights on and faced dozens of guns and bullets, knives and grenades. He had to smile at the sight of these things that remembered him so much at his past. Stepping into this room made him feel at home again and he realized that a study would never give him such feeling. His old spirit of adventure returned and he could already smell the danger again. He grabbed a pistol and fired at a fly sitting on the wall. He hit it right away. He smiled slightly, he was still capable, his hands were still working the way they should.

He grabbed the bag full of weapons and got out of the house. Rick O'Connell was back in the game.


	7. A mission going wrong

Chapter 7 A mission going wrong

A/N: Here's my next chapter. I hope you like it and please review because I  
haven't got many reviews for my last chapter and now I have no idea if you  
people still like my story and want me to continue or not. So if you want me  
to continue, please review. Thanks and enjoy!!

"I'm tired," Sarah complained. Alex sighed. They hadn't even left Cairo yet  
and she was already moaning. He had no idea how to make it to Ahmshere with  
his little sister, who was too small to walk such long distances. Maybe it  
hadn't been such a bright idea to take her with him.

"I know, I know," he groaned and stopped in the middle of the dark street.  
"We'll rest for a while and then we'll see.." he said and looked around for  
something to sit down. A few meters away he sighted a small bench and he  
dragged Sarah to it.

"Sit down," he said and she did. He followed in suit and sighed again. He  
was hungry; he hadn't eaten anything this evening because he'd been so angry  
with his mother but now he was starving. And then it dawned on him that he  
had forgotten to pack something to eat. He groaned and covered his face with  
his hands.

Sarah looked up. "What's going on?"

He took a deep breath, it wouldn't be long and then she would be hungry too.  
He felt like a stupid fool thinking about his backpack full of fresh clothes  
and water to drink but nothing to eat. His father, who had taught them so  
well about how to survive in the desert, would be very ashamed. But the  
worst thing was that he was responsible for his sister too and she counted  
on him to take care for her.

He looked at his watch. Three hours had passed since he'd had this little  
idea, since he had left the safe house with nothing to eat and a empty  
stomach. He was sure that his mother already knew that they were missing;  
mothers have a feeling for these kind of things. And he was sure that they  
would be found soon and then all his great ideas, all his hopes would have  
been in vain. Their mission had gone wrong.

"I messed up Sarah. I didn't think.I didn't pack something to eat and we don  
't have enough money. We won't make it far without these things and the  
police will find us soon if we don't leave Cairo as soon as possible. But we  
have no car and we don't have enough money to take a taxi.so." he broke off.  
He knew that he had failed.

But his sister just listened to him and when she noticed a man not far away,  
standing in the shadows besides his car, she jumped up and ran to him. Alex  
whirled around but she had already disappeared into the dark night.

"Sarah!" He yelled and jumped up, too. He ran after her and saw her standing  
with the man, talking to him.

"Sarah! What the hell are you doing?" he yelled at his younger sister. He  
stared at strange looking man distrustful and hoped that she hadn't told him  
anything. But of course she had.

"Alex! Look.he has a car. He can bring us to Ahmshere and maybe he'll be  
nice and gives us something to eat," she bubbled and smiled proudly,  
thinking she had done something great to save their whole mission.

Alex groaned and the man stared at him angry. "What the hell is this brat  
talking about? I'll call the police now, to take you home to your mother  
where you belong. You don't belong on the streets at night, it's too  
dangerous. Tell me your names," he ordered and Sarah's smile faded away. She  
realized her mistake.

"Great," Alex muttered. But he knew everything was in vain. He could run  
away now, take his sister and get away from this man who seemed very angry  
about them disturbing whatever he was doing at night. But what would it  
help? They still had no car, no money and no food.

"Alexander Colin O'Connell," he said and bent down his head, staring at his  
feet. He felt so stupid and somehow he felt like not deserving the name  
O'Connell.

Sarah stared at her brother and then she looked up. "Sarah Elizabeth  
O'Connell," she answered, following her brothers example. She always did  
what he did.

The man grabbed his jacket to take his cell when he stopped in dead tracks.  
He whirled around and grabbed Alex's arm. "What did you say your name was?"  
He yelled loudly.

Sarah stared at the man scared. Why was he so angry? Alex felt the same  
because he quickly opened his mouth and stuttered: " Alexan-" he began but  
he was cut off.

"Not your first name stupid.your last name! What is your last name?" The man  
shouted and shook him slightly like wanting to shake the answer out of his  
tiny body.

"O'Connell.My last name is O'Connell," he replied quickly and the man let go  
of him immediately.

"O'Connell like Rick O'Connell? Is that your fathers name?"

Sarah and Alex nodded and watched in bewilderment as the mouth of the man  
turned into a smile. He cleared his throat as he looked at the small  
children, starring at him in confusion.

"Bloody hell! I never thought that I would ever meet Rick O'Connell's  
children. Well, I never thought that he would ever have any," the man said  
and grinned at the though.

Now Alex lost his fear. This man seemed to know his father very well, that  
meant that he had to be one of the good guys. He trusted everyone his father  
trusted. "You know my father? Is he a friend of yours?"

The man hesitated for a moment but then a bright smile spread over his face  
and he nodded. "Of course.I'm David Luis and we're like best friends. Nice  
guy that Rick. I always liked him best. What a coincidence that we meet  
here. Is your father near?" He asked and while saying this he looked around  
and his eyes shone with fright.

But Alex didn't even notice this. "No, he's in London right now."

"Ah and what are you doing here alone on the streets? I heard your sister  
saying that you're on your way to Ahmshere, is that true?"

Sarah nodded. "We want to bring back my Daddy's missing part of his soul,"  
she said and Alex had to smile. "But we have no car, no food and no money  
and the police will find us soon because we had run away," she replied and  
this caused Alex to groan.

Now David would surely bring them back to their mother and he would tell his  
father what an idiot he was. But David just stared at them without saying  
anything. His smile grew even wider, which confused Alex even more. Wasn't  
he supposed to be angry and mad at him, to tell him that it is wrong to run  
away from home and that his father would be very disappointed in him?

"Really? Well, maybe I can help you," the man answered slowly.

Alex gasped. "What? But why?" Why would this friend of his father help them  
to run away, to do something their father wouldn't allow them in ages? David  
asked himself this question too, frantically looking for an good reason to  
tell this curious kid.

"Because...because I really like your father and...and I want to help you to  
get his missing part back even if I don't know what you mean with that.  
Because I like him. Yeah...yeah that's the reason. I really like your Daddy  
and I want to help Rick O'Connell's children because I like him so much," he  
stuttered.

Sarah and Alex looked at each other and Sarah nodded quickly. "Alex, Alex!  
Look. It was good that I asked him, wasn't it? Now we have someone who helps  
us and we found someone who is Daddy's friend. And now the mission will go  
on and we won't fail," she blurted out and smiled widely.

Alex nodded slowly and David grinned. "Good.good.great. Come on, get into  
the car. We'll drive to my house first to get something to eat and more  
money and then I'll help you to get to Ahmshere," he said and pushed Sarah  
and Alex firmly into the car.

Sarah hopped into it, laughing happily and excited. This would be her first  
real adventure and it seemed to be great. Alex followed her but he wasn't  
this joyful. He didn't know why but he had a bad feeling. He knew that it  
was stupid to feel that way, because now everything was just fine. But he  
couldn't help it, deep inside all his excitement about their adventure was  
gone and was replaced by strange fear. A fear that choked him and left him  
breathless. But still he said nothing and just stared silently out of the  
window while Sarah was laughing and chatting with their new 'friend' David  
Luis, their father's best friend.and his worst enemy.


	8. Rick and Evelyn

Chapter 8 Rick and Evelyn

A/N: Next chapter. I hope you like it and I know it's short but the next one  
is already finished and much longer. It's also very exciting because we'll  
learn more stuff about Rick and David and about what happened back then. So,  
please if you liked this chapter and would like to read the next chapter  
too, please review because I have the feeling that no one is interested in  
this story anymore and it's hard to keep on writing when no one wants to  
read your stuff! Anyway enjoy

Alex stared out of the window and his sister was leaning her head against  
his shoulder. After endless chatting with David, who tried his best to keep  
smiling although he was very bored, she had finally fallen asleep. Alex took  
a look at his watch and sighed. Of course she was tired, it was 5 o'clock in  
the morning and they had been up all night.

He watched David, who stared on the street and drove through the fresh  
morning without saying a word. They were out of Cairo know and Alex didn't  
fear anymore that they would be found, but somehow he wished that they would  
after all. David had stopped at his apartment to pick up some money and food  
for them to eat. Alex had wanted to join him to help him carry things but  
David had forbidden it very rudely. And this had intensified the strange  
feeling he felt in his stomach even more. Maybe this whole adventure wasn't  
such a good idea after all.

"Where are we heading?" Alex suddenly asked and startled David who made a  
little jump in the air.

"Well." he began, trying his best to smile friendly. "We're going to meet a  
friend of mine, he's going to lend us a few camels for the way through the  
desert," he answered quickly. This kid was asking too many questions; David  
was very afraid that he would get suspicious.

Alex looked at him and tried to figure out if he was telling the truth.  
"Aren't you afraid that my Dad will be very angry at you for helping us?" He  
asked.

And that made David grin, but it was real grin this time, one that made Alex  
shiver. "Oh yes.your father will be very.very angry at me. But we such good  
friends.I'm sure he'll forgive me." Oh yes, David was really scared of Rick  
O'Connell's reaction but that he couldn't tell Alex. Not yet.

Meanwhile in Cairo airport:

Evelyn was at the Cairo airport and waited for Rick's plane from London to  
land. God ,she longed to see him again, to feel his strong arms around her.  
She needed him now, she needed him so much it hurt. It had been hours since  
she had found out that their children were gone and it had been a terrible  
time for her. The police of Cairo was driving around, checking the airport  
and the station, showing people their pictures and asking if anyone had seen  
them.

But until now Alex and Sarah were gone without a trace. This thought choked  
her and left her breathless. She knew that Alex was smart and she knew that  
he would make it but now he had his little sister with him. And even if Rick  
had already began to teach Sarah too how to survive in this cruel world, she  
knew that her little girl was just too young to actually do it yet.

She felt the tears rising again but she wiped them away, enraged. Since when  
had she become such a wimp? She was Evelyn O'Connell and she had seen and  
experienced so much shit that she should be able to bear this too. But she  
wasn't, not at all. She wasn't Evy, the heroine, the strong and brave woman  
anymore. She was a mother. One that was very worried right now.

She watched the plane land and then she saw Rick. Suddenly it was all going  
like in slow motion. He looked so good. He carried a worried expression but  
the rings around his eyes were gone, he had shaved and wore new clothes. He  
looked like the Rick O'Connell she had married years ago. When he spotted  
her, he let go of his bag and began to run. He didn't care for the people  
around them who were staring at them. He just run as fast as he could and  
before she could blink he was by her side. He wrapped his strong arms around  
her tiny body and embraced her.

All of sudden she felt so protected, like nothing in the world could happen  
to her with this man at her side. She felt like now she was finally able to  
let her guards down again. And she began to weep. Not only for her missing  
children but also for herself and the past years of pain. And he just held  
her and let her cry while stroking her hair.

Evelyn sobbed a bit and then she took a deep breath. Beside the fact that  
she was still worried about her kids, she felt so much relief and joy. God,  
how had she missed to feel safe. And not only to feel safe in general, but  
also to feel safe in his arms. She had longed for this moment so long, since  
the baby had died. She knew that there were still a few problems to deal  
with but right now all this didn't matter to her.

She looked up and she saw much love in his eyes, that the tears started to  
rise up again. He hadn't looked at her like this in a very long time. He  
softly stroke her cheek and smiled.

"Shh." he said and wiped her tears away. "It's going to be alright,  
everything's going to be fine Evy."

She nodded. And then she let him take her hand and followed him back to the  
place where he had dropped his bag. She took a look at it and gasped.

"Is that the bag.?" She stuttered.

He nodded and her eyes went wide. "You don't think that we'll need this,  
right?" She asked, suddenly afraid. She looked at him and she was really  
dumbfounded when she realized that Rick was beginning to get back to his old  
self, not just to Rick the loving and caring father but to Rick O'Connell:  
The hero and adventurer. But after the death of the baby he had wanted to  
bury this Rick. She had been in the room when he'd sworn to himself that he  
would never touch this bag again. It was full of weapons and for him full of  
memories. It was his "adventure bag" like Alex used to call it.

"No, I don't think we'll need it. But you know me. I want to be prepared,"  
he answered and grinned slightly. It was an adventurers grin. His grin.

Meanwhile:

Ardeth Bay, leader of the Medjai, watched his friend Luku taking care of  
their camels while he was feeding Horus II, his best friend. Horus the first  
had died a very terrible death, being shot down by an enemy of the Medjai.  
He sighed. It had been a long day and now they were resting in a small  
village not far away from Cairo. It was very early and in a few hours the  
men would continue their control round through the desert. It was a hard  
work but they were Medjais and protecting the undiscovered treasures of  
Egypt that were resting in the desert was their job.

The village began to awake, the first people arrived the market to prepare  
their booths. Ardeth watched them and shook his head. He didn't understand  
these people, they were cheater and liars and tried their best to steal  
money from the tourists, tourists that they needed to survive. He wouldn't  
be able to live a life like this.

He sighed and suddenly he stiffened. He saw a small boy with blond hair that  
he was sure he knew. He stood up and let his eyes travel about the now very  
full market, trying to find him again. And then he did. There he was,  
standing beside a booth and beside him a even smaller girl. Ardeth  
recognized him at once. It was Alexander O'Connell, the son of a Medjai. He  
smiled. The boy was here so his parents would be here too.

He began to walk up to him. Evelyn and Rick O'Connell used to make a lot of  
trouble. But he liked them a lot and he knew that this family had a great  
destiny in front of them. And some day they would have to face it but for  
now it was enough that they at least knew that they were special. And that  
they knew.

Ardeth was now almost at Alex's side when the boy turned around. He gasped  
when he saw him and a very big smile spread about his lips. This was the man  
that had saved his father's life more than once and his too.

"Ardeth Bay," he yelled and ran up to him.

"Good morning Alexander. It's been a long time.how are you?" The men asked  
friendly. He had always liked this boy. He was very smart and he was a lot  
like his father.

"I'm good," he answered and then he pulled Sarah closer, wanting to  
introduce her to him. "This is Sarah, my sister," he said.

Sarah looked down and her face reddened. She was very shy around people she  
didn't know. Ardeth Bay knelt down and smiled. She looked up and he stared  
into her brown eyes. She couldn't take her eyes away, his gaze was so  
intense and even if Alex hadn't told her she knew that this man was special.

The man looked quite friendly and with his fingers he made a small sign on  
her forehead. It was sign of the Medjai, one that should protect and bless  
the little girl. Then he stood up and looked around confused.

"Where are your parents? I would like to meet them, it's been a long time  
since I have seen them last," he asked and Alex looked down, trying his best  
to avoid his gaze.

"They're not here," he answered truthfully. He knew it would be in vain to  
lie at the Medjai, he would know anyway.

Sarah nodded quickly. "Yeah.Mommy is in Cairo and Daddy is in London. We're  
going into the desert, to see pyramids and to have adventures," she babbled.  
She liked this man and he seemed very trustworthy, so that she was sure that  
Alex wouldn't get angry at her this time for telling the truth.

"Alone?" Ardeth Bay couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just one look at  
Alex's guilty face and he knew that their parents didn't have a clue that  
they were here. But he didn't have an idea how these kids had been able to  
get here alone.

Alex stared at Sarah and wanted to stop her from saying anything but she was  
faster. "No.we're here with a friend of Daddy. His name is David and he  
wants to help us to get Daddy's missing soul back," she said and sounded  
quite confident.

Ardeth took a deep breath. He didn't understand any of this and he couldn't.  
He didn't know what had happened the last years. He didn't know of the baby  
and that Rick had changed a lot. And he didn't know that this family, that  
he had thought to be unbreakable, was very broken at the moment.

Alex saw his confusion and sighed. He took one quick look at David who was  
still occupied with other things and then he turned back to his father's  
friend. "Do you want to hear the whole story, every bit? The whole shit  
story that happened to my family?"

The Medjai saw the pain in the boy's eyes and knew that something was  
terrible wrong. He nodded and picked up Sarah. "Let's go somewhere we can  
talk in private," he said. He began to walk and Alex followed him.

At the same moment David turned around, looking for the children. But they  
didn't stand at the booth anymore.they were gone. He let go of the things in  
his hands and looked around frantically. That was not possible, he couldn't  
lose them. Not them, not his only chance to get revenge on a man that took  
away from him what he loved most. He cursed quietly. He had been so joyful  
the whole time, thinking about how great the feeling would be to stand in  
front of Rick O'Connell, telling him that he had his children and that he  
would kill them. Just like O'Connell killed his brother.

Suddenly he spotted them. They were walking beside a tall, dangerous looking  
man. His first intention was to run after them, to get them back  
immediately. But on closer observation he saw that the man was looking a lot  
like this strange guys that lived in the desert and that thought the desert  
would belong to them. And he decided to wait for the right moment. He would  
get his revenge but now he had to wait.

He laughed quietly and it was a laugh that would sent a shiver through your  
body. "Start praying O'Connell!"


	9. A story from the past

Chapter 9 Stories from the past

A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took me so long. Here's the next chapter and it's a little more dramatic then I wanted it to be, but well… I hope you like it anyway. I want to thank everybody who reviewed. This is so nice of you, I love you guys! You have no idea ho much this helps me to write! I don't want to say something to everybody who reviewed. Just THANK YOU

More than 12 hours had passed since the O'Connell kids had been found missing. The Police of Cairo was still trying hard to find them but until now there was no trace of them. Thinking that the children couldn't be far away, they kept on searching the whole day. But slowly the light began to fade away, it went cold and the sun was beginning to make her way back to the other side of the world.

And the more darker it became the more fear Rick and Evelyn felt that maybe something had happened to them. Cairo was huge so Sarah and Alex still had to be in town, no matter how fast they walked it was impossible that they had left Cairo. So, nobody cared to asked for them in bordering villages.

The police had assured Rick and Evy that it was better to wait for them to find the kids than looking for them by themselves. But of course Rick cared a shit about this. Nobody could stop him form searching for his beloved children. Evy knew Cairo very good, because she used to be here a lot. But Rick knew even more about this town. He had spent his childhood here and because he'd used to hang around the streets a lot, he knew every little alley, every hiding place that existed.

They drove through the streets while the sun began to disappear behind the pyramids. Evy was sitting beside Rick and her eyes shone with tears, she tried to prepare for the worst case… that they would never find Alex and Sarah again. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose them. She just couldn't. She tried to remember the emotions she'd had when they had lost Alex to the Mummy but it seemed like she'd repressed these memories very well. Rick was the only one that gave her strength. That he was there, driving with her through the night, his face full of ambition and strength, was giving her hope. He would never give up, no matter what… he would find his children even if that meant that he had to follow them to the other side of the world.

He turned his head and looked at her. He saw the pain and the fear in her eyes and smiled slightly. "I'm bringing them back Evy. I promise. You don't have to worry, everything is going to be okay hon", he said and his voice sounded very confident and hopeful.

And he was. The power and the braveness had returned to him and this supported him a lot. He felt stronger as he'd ever been. He would find Alex and Sarah and nothing and no one could stop him.

Suddenly his cell phone rang (okay I know that they probably had no cell phones back there but I have no idea how it should work otherwise, so sorry)

Evy picked up and her heart made a jump. Maybe they had found them.

She listened closely and her heart sank. Rick watched her with impatience, waiting to hear the news. "Okay.. yeah.. thank you very much Officer", she answered and turned around to face Rick.

"It was the police", she said and she sighed slightly. "They haven't found Alex and Sarah yet. It's as if the earth swallowed them up".

"Damn", he swore and hit the steering wheel. "How is this possible? They can't disappear just like this".

"But there's something else. They said they have a man who claims that he have seen them. They suggest that we drive back to ask him face to face, but they also said that we shouldn't be too hopeful. Probably he's just some jerk who makes fun", she said.

Rick sighed and then he nodded. "Let's drive back. It's a small hope but it's hope after all. Better than nothing". And with that he turned around the car and they drove back to the police station in silence.

Back at the police station:

Rick and Evy were waiting impatiently for the man to enter the room. He took a look at his watch and realized that almost 24 hours had passed since Alex and Sarah had disappeared. He knew about things like this, when he was younger lots of boys had disappeared from the orphanage. After 24 hours there was almost no hope to find the kids again.. not alive. Not here in Cairo. For tourists this town seemed to be a paradise but in fact Cairo was no good place to raise your children. It had never been and it still wasn't. This memories bothered him very badly.

But when he looked at his wife he knew that he had to keep these thoughts for himself. She already was miserable and he had to be strong for her now. He had to keep his strength to give her hope and braveness. He took a shuddering breath and closed his eyes. God, how much he longed for a cold fresh beer now. He knew it was bad to think about it, he knew that if he would lose control now his whole work would have been in vain. And Evy would lose the tiny little bit of trust she still had in him. But he couldn't help himself, deep inside he just wanted to drink the fear and the pain away.

Suddenly the door opened and ripped him away from these dark, self destructing thoughts. A small man with worn out clothes and a dirty bearded face walked in. Evy watched him closely and sighed disappointed. She expected no help from this strange looking guy. He probably was very poor and hoped that he would get some money for telling them what they wanted to hear.

But to her surprise the man began to smile widely when he spotted Rick. "I don't believe it! O'Connell! Rick O'Connell?"

Rick stood up, his face full of confusion. "Do I know you"?

"Ya don't remember your old buddy Joe? Oh come on, you wouldn't forget about your old friend from the street, would ya?"

Rick's face light up and a bright grin spread about his lips. He stepped forward and gave the stranger a hug. "Joe! Bloody hell, I thought I would never see you again. How're you doing?"

"Good, very good. I'm still living in the old shack behind the liberty. The streets are still my home and I love living like this", he answered and took a look at Evy and her nice clothes. "But I guess you're not".

Rick shook his head and the he grabbed Evy's hand, pulling her up to him. "This is Evelyn. She's my wife. We're living in London together with our two kids Alex and Sarah…", he stopped remembering why he was there.

"Did you see them? Did you see Alex and Sarah"? He asked and his eyes glittered with newfound hope.

But then he looked at Joe and his heart stopped. Joe looked with a blank expression, his eyes full of pity. Joe began to swear. "Oh fuck! These kids are yours? Shit, shit, shit", he hissed and groaned. Evy's head whirled around.

"What do you mean with that? Where are they? Are they okay, tell me", she yelled and began to panic. Rick saw her losing control and quickly wrapped his arm around her.

"Joe", he began and tried to sound calm. "What's going on? Did you see them or not"?

Joe nodded. "I saw them. A boy and a girl, both blond and green eyed. They're okay, they're fine. The girl even laughed, she seemed quite happy and the boy didn't seem bad either", he quickly replied, wanting to comfort Evy.

"Really? But.. but what's the problem"?

"They were not alone", Joe began. "God, when I saw them I felt pity for them, I thought they were kids from the orphanage who had gotten in trouble. But then I heard about two adults searching for their children and I felt even more pity for them. But now… this.. this is far worse. These are not any kids, these are yours. O'Connell kids."

"What the hell has that to do with my name? Stop babbling around and tell me", Rick yelled, slowly losing his temper too.

Joe sighed deeply and continued. "Do you remember Mike Luis? This 18teen years old boy? He had tried to kidnap a few kids from our old orphanage. We tried to stop him, do you remember? He and his gang were involved in a shooting with our boys. He.. he killed Danny".

Rick gasped when he remembered that faithful day. That day was still burned in his mind and he would probably never forget about these terrible things that happened back there. Evy watched Rick and saw the painful expression in his eyes. For a short moment she forgot about their children and she touched his cheek softly and made him look at her. "Who was Danny"?

"Danny was Rick's little brother. Well, not biological but these two spent their time together many years. They were in the same orphanage and when Rick, who was 17 years old at this point, fled from there, Danny did too. A few weeks later they joined our gang. Two years later we heard about Mike Luis who planned to kidnap young children form their old orphanage to sell them. Okay honestly, nobody in our gang was a saint. We stole, we robbed. But we didn't kill, we didn't hurt anyone. And we knew that we had to stop him because it's not the children's fault that the world is so fucked up. And because we remembered being so young and helpless too. There was a shooting and Luis.. he killed Danny because he was in his way", Joe answered while Rick stared at him motionless.

"Danny died because he wanted to protect me. The bullet was meant to hit me, not him… me. But he threw himself in the way and…he was still so young, he was barely 16..", Rick broke off. Evy's eyes filled with tears. Oh god, how much she wished she could take away his pain. She had always known that he had gone through a lot of shit but she hadn't imagined something like that.

She caressed his cheek very softly like she could take the hurt away from him with doing that. "It wasn't your fault".

"I know", Rick replied. "Doctor Booger told me so too", he said and had to smile slightly. God, he almost missed the old strange fellow now. He needed him to tell him that none of this was his fault, that he had to be strong, that he wasn't allowed to disappoint Evy.

Joe cleared his throat. "That's not all Rick", he said very quietly.

Rick nodded. He knew he had to tell Evy every detail now, it made no difference. "I know, I know. When I saw Danny, lying on the street, I totally freaked out. I lost control. And I killed Mike Luis for killing Danny", he said and looked down.

He hated the fact that Evy now knew about this part of his life. Mike Luis maybe had deserved the death but Rick hated that he'd been the one who had given him what he'd deserved. Especially because Mike had been so young, even younger than Rick at that moment. Maybe he hadn't known what he was doing when he planned to kidnap the children. Maybe someone had told him to do so. Mike was naïve and he needed money to survive as much as everyone else did. He sighed, he thought it was terrible that he'd become a murderer at the age of 19.

Evy sighed. "I would have done that too Honey. Everyone would have acted this way in such a moment". She didn't want Rick to feel guilty for what he had done. She couldn't help but thought that this Mike Luis didn't deserve any better.

"Well, yeah that's true. But Mike Luis was still young too. He was 18 years old and he had an older brother. His name was David. David Luis", Joe said trying to get their thoughts back to the main topic. It seemed to him that these two had completely forgotten about their children while traveling into the past.

Rick thought a moment then he remembered. "Yeah… yeah I do remember him. I met him some day and we had a gunfight. I won, I would have been able to kill him, to get him out of my way forever but I didn't. I spared his life and I was almost expecting him to spare mine too. But he was filled with so much hate that he ran away from me with these words: You'll regret this O'Connell. Some day I'll get my revenge and then you'll pray to God that I'll spare the life of those you love like I loved my brother".

Evy shook her head. "But his brother killed your brother. It was fair, well kind of. It's not fair that anyone had to die, it's not fair that you or even this David had to suffer so much pain", she replied.

"Nothing is fair Evy. The world is unfair", Rick answered.

He sighed. God, how much he hated to think about all these things that happened in his past. Most time of his life he had been able to deny and suppress these memories but now it all came back. He shook his head, he shouldn't think about old times now, he should think about his children.

"Okay, enough of the old times. What about Alex and Sarah"?

Joe stared at him, waiting for him to find the answer himself but he didn't. He just looked at him curious, wanting to know where his kids were. "Rick.. I said.. I said that Alex and Sarah weren't alone".

He was confused and began to get slightly angry with Joe because he was speaking such unclear stuff. "Yeah? So what.. who was with them…?" But then he broke off. His mind wandered back to what he had just told Evy and then he put two and two together. He gasped and pulled his hand to his heart which began to pound so fast that it dared to explode. His face lost all his color and went white as dead when he stumbled backwards trying to find something to take hold on. He felt sick and he wanted to vomit.

Evy watched him in fear, she didn't understand his reaction. She tried to stable him. "What? Rick what is it?"

Rick shook his head. He gasped for air, unable to breath. "No.. No", he whispered. "That can't be.. please Joe tell me that it isn't true. Please…".

His mind whirled around. David Luis's words resounded through his head. "You'll pray to God that I'll spare the life of those you love…".

This was not possible. He had always feared that his faithful past would get back to him at some point. But not now and not like this, this just wasn't fair.

Evy grabbed his arm and shook him, like wanting to shake the answer out of him. "Rick! Answer me. What's going on". She was confused, scared, numb. She had never seen Rick this shocked, this scared. and she knew that it had to do with their kids.

Joe looked down. "Alex and Sarah were with someone when I saw them. And this man was… David Luis", he said.

Evy's eyes went wide. "What"? She couldn't believe this. "The man.. the man that hates you so much.. that probably still wants you to pay….. has our children? He has our innocent and little children? Oh my God".

Rick took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He had to calm down now or he would lose control. Maybe they were still alive, maybe he hadn't killed them. Maybe he didn't know what had fallen in his hands, maybe he didn't know that his revenge was right in front of him.

He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. The tears of fear spilled over here cheeks and her body trembled. "Hey Hon, look at me. Joe said that they're okay. Maybe he doesn't know who Alex and Sarah are. I'm sure that he doesn't now and even if he does. He won't hurt them, I'm sure he's no bastard. And.. and even if he is he won't touch them… not until he finds me. Because he wants me to suffer, he wants me to see them die. Juts like he had to watch his brother die. So, there's still hope. But it's important now, that we calm down, we have to keep a clear mind. If we stay strong, we'll sort things out", he said and tried very desperately to sound confident.

She leapt forward and buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and stroke her back. It was the first time since a very long time that he was the strong one, the one that gave her strength. He knew that this was too much for her. Evy was the bravest and toughest person in the world he knew but now she was just a breakable, frightened mother who feared to lose her children. She had already suffered so much pain and he was sure that she even the strongest woman in the world wouldn't bear another lost like this. He kissed her forehead. "Shh.. it's going to be okay. Nothing is going to happen to them".

"Do you promise"? She looked up and he saw so much hope in her eyes that it broke his heart. So, he swallowed hard and nodded. "I promise, I promise".

A/N: Okay, I hope you liked it. And if you did please review! The next chapter is coming soon, it'll be about Rick and David's first meeting and about the first time that Alex and Sarah see their father again. If you want to read more review and I'll write even faster 


	10. Alex and Sarah in danger

Chapter 11 Alex and Sarah in danger

A/N: Oh God I know, it took me soooo much time to update. I want to thank everybody who reviewed, it really helped me keeping this up. And now I finally posted another chapter and the next one will follow more quickly this time, I promise. I'm very sorry that it isn't beta readed so there will be a lot of mistakes I guess. If you want to be my beta reader, write me an mail, I would be very pleased. And now on with the story. Alex and Sarah are safe… but for how long?

Ardeth Bay stared into the desert which laid in front of him and then his look wandered back to the two sleeping children. Sarah rested on his coat which he had laid out on the sand and was soundly asleep. Alex leaned against an rock, his face covered with dried tears.

He sighed, he felt great pity for the young boy who had gone through so much shit. But worst of all was that he had never been able to show his pain and despair to anyone during all of this years. He'd always wanted to be the strong and brave one, he'd tried so hard to replace his father to support his mother and his sister. Alex had always been more ripe and reasonable than other boys his age but now Ardeth felt like talking to an adult instead of an 13teen years old kid.

Alex had told him the whole story, the whole shit that had happened to them. To his family, to his parents and to himself. Ardeth couldn't help but felt disappointed. He'd always thought that the O'Connell would be a saint family, one that was unbreakable. And now he had to see that one thing, an accident to be exactly, could destroy even the strongest family in the world. But he understood Evelyn and Rick, he knew very good what it meant to lose someone you love very much. But what disturbed him a lot was that the children had suffered so much. He liked Alex so much, it had been him after all who had saved the earth from Immuteph by taking the bracelet of Anubis. He was smart and clever, this he had from his mother. And he was brave and strong, that he had from his father. Not to forget Sarah. She was such a cute little person, with eyes glittering full of innocence and hope.

She hadn't talked much this evening. She had just listened to her brother and sometimes she'd nodded in agreement. Well, but it seemed like she would agree to everything her brother said.

He sighed again. It was a cold and windy night and he hated the fact that he hadn't been able to offer the kids somewhere more comfortable and warm. Now they had to sleep here with him, in his small tent. But better than being with this strange friend Alex had spoke about. He didn't think that this man was someone that could be trusted and that he didn't seem to look for the children after they've gone away with him made him even more suspicious. Tomorrow in the morning he would sent someone to Cairo, to tell the police that Alex and Sarah had been found and that they were okay. Ardeth was sure that their parents were out of their mind, not knowing where their beloved children are. And then he would sent Luku back into the desert with the promise that he would follow him soon, and he would take the kids to bring them back to Evelyn and Rick. He would also take that chance to yell at both of them a little bit for giving their children such a hard time. Sure, what happened was terrible for everyone, but hey.. they were parents now and they had to look after Alex's and Sarah's feelings too.

Suddenly he heard something strange coming from the outside. It sounded like steps. Usually it's hard to hear someone appearing from behind when he walks on sand but Ardeth had a good ear for these kind of things. He stood up and reached for his sword. Sarah woke up, too and rubbed her small eyes tiredly. Ardeth knelt down to her and then he laid his finger on her mouth to show to be quiet. She nodded slightly. And then he left the tent. Silence fell upon the tent and Sarah suddenly felt very frightened and softly shook her brother to wake him.

Alex sat up startled and stared at her with wide eyes. "What? Why"? He needed a few seconds to realize that he wasn't in his bed but deep in the desert stuck in a mission that had gone completely wrong. He looked at Sarah questioning and rubbed his eyes.

"What's going on Little one"? He asked loudly and Sarah quickly placed her hand over his mouth.

"Shh…", she whispered. "Ardeth has gone outside, I think someone is there. He told me to be quiet… do you think it's getting dangerous"? She asked and her eyes began to shine at the thought of experiencing an real adventure before going back to their parents.

Alex shrugged his shoulders and stood up. He surely wasn't longing for any more adventures now. He was finished and just wanted to sleep. All of sudden there was loud yelling outside.

He quickly crept out of the tent and then he stopped abruptly. There was David, his Dad's friend, but he wasn't alone. He had three masked men with him who pointed their guns at a quite confused Ardeth. "What's going on? What're you doing David here?"

Sarah came out, too and her brother shoved her behind his back to protect her. She looked at David confused. "David? Why do you yell at Ardeth Bay? He's a friend of us and he's a friend of our Daddy. Just like you", she said.

David Luis groaned, he was so fed up with her constant babbling. "Shut up fleabag! I don't give a shit about him being a friend of your damn Daddy. So would you please shut your mouth"!

Alex stared at him angrily. He had known that something was wrong with this guy. And now he acted like a real asshole even if he had told them that he was their friend. "Stop talking to my sister like this. And stop swearing or don't you have manners"?

The men laughed loudly and the sound made his blood freeze in his veins. David just shook his head, ignoring him and turned back to Ardeth. "See… I don't want to make any trouble. But fact is that these kids belong to me, I found them first. I don't know what you intend to do with them and to be honest I don't care. If you don't mind I'll just take them and you continue to do.. well whatever you're guys doing", he said.

Ardeth was now getting angry with this idiot. "I do mind! Alex and Sarah belong to no one but to their parents. And I intend to bring them back to them".

Alex nodded quickly and stepped closer to him. "We want to go home now David. It was really nice of you to help us but I don't think that this thing would work. You can come with us if you like, I'm sure that my Dad will be pleased to see you again… well, as long as you're really a friend of him", Alex said and looked askance at him.

David laughed. "What a clever boy. I really wondered why you did trust me and why you never asked questions. But I guess you're not that smart after all. No.. I'm of course no friend of your father. In fact I hate him… I hate him more than anything else in the world. And I would love to see him dead, ya know. And when I met you two I knew that my chance had come. But then I had an even better idea than killing him… I kidnapped his children. This will pain him much more. And now I intend to go back to Cairo to hide you somewhere nobody will ever find you and than I tell him that you're dead. God, this will be a pleasure. Have you any idea how much this is going to make him suffer?"

He grinned from one ear to another, already imagining what it would be like to see Rick's face. Alex face paled and his eyes went wide. He had known that David was trouble but he hadn't realized that it would be like this. He mentally slapped himself for being such a stupid fool, for being so naïve. By doing this he hadn't only brought his life in danger but this of his sister too.

Sarah was still young and she didn't understand how David plan actually worked but she knew that it would be no fun. Alex glanced up to Ardeth hoping that he would save them. But then he remembered the gunmen and his hope sank, even Ardeth Bay wasn't strong enough to beat four men at once.

David snapped his fingers and suddenly a man came up from behind and grabbed Sarah. Alex whirled around but he wasn't fast enough to hold her. "No", he yelled. "Let her go"! Pure fear flooded through him when he saw his little sister in the hands of these bastards. The man held her very tightly and pointed his gun at her head which made her cry. Little tears ran over her cheeks and she looked at Alex searching desperately for help. But her brother was helpless too just like Ardeth who watched this with wide eyes. A minute before he had thought that maybe he was able to bring them all down but now an attack was impossible. It would endanger Sarah's life.

"Ardeth Bay.. Alex. One wrong move and she'll die. Do you understand?"

Both of them nodded quickly. David looked at one of his men.

"Snake… you take care of this desert guy", he said and there was no doubt what he meant with 'taking care of'.

Then he turned back to Alex. "And you little brat. You stay quiet and make no trouble, alright? If you do I'll hurt your sister, copy that?"

Alex nodded quickly, his heart beating madly at the thought of Ardeth being killed because of him and his stupid ideas. But he was helpless, all he could do was to try to save at least his sister's life. "I promise I'll make no trouble but please would you let her down and please remove the gun. She's so scared don't you see that. You can point that damn thing at my head but not at hers.. she so little", he said and while talking he got more and more aggressive. God how could this man do this? What were his motives? What was that all about? For Alex it was like awaking from a dream. He had followed this strange man without thinking, without considering the consequences. Usually he was very reasonable, he was thinking quite rational and logical and he was very thoughtful about everything he did. But this whole thing with his Dad seemed to have put him into some kind of trance. A trance that made him trust any jerk like a blind fool. That made him put his life and that of her sister in great danger.

David looked at him and then at Sarah who cried so desperately that it even disturbed him a little. He groaned quietly and nodded. "Let her down", he muttered. The man let go of Sarah and the little girl ran over to her brother as fast as she could. He wrapped his arms around her trembling body and stroke her back while she sobbed. God, she was so scared. Seeing her like this made Alex even angrier. And he swore to himself that he would find a way to get his sister out of this shit.

But for now he decided to keep calm and stay quiet. He grabbed Sarah's hand and then he followed David while Ardeth watched them in fear. "Don't not be frightened my son! I'll find a way to sort things out", he quickly yelled and the boy turned around once more.

David didn't like to see this. He snapped his fingers and a man pushed Ardeth very rudely back into the tent. Then he looked at Alex. "Don't get your hopes up, the second we're gone my man will kill your friend. No one is going to help you. Your life is in my hands. Sounds good, right"?

Alex stared at him frantically and then he walked further without responding. No, he wouldn't let this man hurt his sister or himself, he would show him what it meant to trouble with the O'Connell family. He still had to think of something to do but he was sure that his creative and smart mind wouldn't leave him this time. He grabbed Sarah's hand and squeezed it slightly and so quietly David couldn't hear he said: " Don't worry Sarah.. everything is going to be okay. He's going to get what he deserves, no one is going to hurt you… not as long as I'm still around".

His sister looked up and a small smile appeared upon her lips.

Back in the tent:

Ardeth watched the kids disappear and it scared him. No they were all alone and he couldn't help them anymore. He knew that Alex was a smart and brave kid but would it help? Suddenly David's man turned around and pointed the gun at Ardeth's chest. Just now he realized that he had trouble himself that he had to take care of.

"They're gone. Time for you to die Desert Freak", the man said and grinned widely.

Ardeth already wanted to close his eyes, anticipating the shot but then he spotted Luku. The boy was still young, nearly 17 and while his fighting skills were already impressive, e still had to chance against a man with a gun. But that didn't seem to bother him. With a loud scream he lunged forward and grabbed the man's neck from behind. Ardeth jumped forward too, wanting to help him but the there was a shot that resounded through the quiet desert. Luku stopped and stared in shock at Ardeth Bay who was slowly sinking into the already bloody sand.

A/N: And now what will happen to Alex and Sarah? Ardeth Bay dead? Review if you want to find out! 


	11. Mysterious boxes

Chapter 11 Together and mysterious boxes

A/N: So here's the next chapter. As I promised it didn't take me so much time this time. Thanks to everyone who reviewed... I love you guys  If you like this chapter please review!

Rick wandered up and down restlessly. From time to time, he sighed deeply or mumbled inaudible words. Evy watched this silently. She knew that he had to think, that he needed to get all of this in his head, that he needed to come up with a great idea. She was not able to do that or help him. Somehow, this was something Rick had to handle. Joe had left them a few hours ago, promising to try to find out where David was hiding.

"The streets do have ears, Rick. You know that. And the streets are my best friends. So if David Luis made a mistake, and I'm sure he'll make one if he hasn't already, I will know. You're my buddy, Rick. You can count on me," Joe had said before leaving. Somehow, knowing that they weren't all alone had calmed Evy.

They had the police, who were still desperately trying to find Alex and Sarah. But, even so, Evy knew that the police were powerless. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, praying to God in her mind.

"Please dear God... Let them be alive. Let them be okay. I need them so much..." She opened her eyes and looked at Rick, whose face showed more fear and despair than she had ever seen from him. "_We_ need them so much," she corrected herself.

God, how much she had missed this man. It was awful that they needed such a terrible incident for her to realize how much she loved him and how much he needed her and her support, which she hadn't given him when he needed it most. She tiredly rubbed her eyes. When was the last time she'd really slept? It felt like years.

"I... I don't know what to do," she suddenly heard and looked up to see that Rick had stopped wandering around. "I tried so hard to... to find a way... to find David and our kids but... but I couldn't... I wasn't able," he choked out.

She stood up and wrapped her arms around him. It was the first time she had shown support for him since Alex and Sarah had disappeared. "It's okay. You know, having the brilliant ideas has always been my job and not yours. You're the brave gunfighter who makes my ideas work," she said softly and had to smile slightly by the thought of the adventures they had already experienced.

"But this time it's different. This time we're not fighting against Mummies or dead Pharaohs. This time we're in my personal nightmare. There is no curse you could fight against. We have to fight against life itself this time," he answered and looked at her.

"Right. This is a fight that none of us have fought before. So it's okay that you don't have an answer to our problems. But we'll find it together. We'll find a way to get them back, Rick, but this time together, without a certain apportionment of jobs. We're in this together," she replied.

He smiled slightly. "I wanted to show you that I'm back, that I'm my old self. The one that can handle everything," he said.

"You are back, Rick. And I'm sure that even in this 'adventure', there'll be gunfights and battles you can win for me," she stated and sighed deeply. Of course, she hoped that life would spare her this, but it obviously made him feel better.

The door was abruptly burst open and Joe stormed in. "Guys, you're gonna love me!" he yelled.

Rick grabbed his collar. "What? Did you find them?"

Joe released himself and reddened. "Well, no. But I found someone who may know," he said and smiled proudly.

"Who? Who is it and where is he?" Evy asked, her eyes glittering with hope.

"His name is Ardeth Bay and he's in the hospital right now."

"Ardeth? Rick, did you hear that? It's Ardeth!" Evy looked at her husband in awe.

"But, why is he in the hospital?" Rick asked.

"David Luis wanted to kill him."

_Meanwhile in Cairo, some hidden place_

David Luis stood in front of a huge and impressive bundling. He was very satisfied. This was the right place for hiding the kids. A place he visited very often; where everyone respected and liked him as Professor David Cane, as he named himself.

"Where are we?" Alex, whose eyes were bound with a piece of cloth, tried desperately to get free. But he was being held very tightly by an unknown someone. His sister, Sarah, was also being held. She, however, stood still, not daring to rebel against this treatment.

"That, my dear Alex, I will not tell you. But I can tell you something about this place. It's perfect. No one will ever look for you here. There are almost hundreds of places that are connected with me and my name and the police will search for you at those places first. The police are stupid, as is your father," he said and grinned.

"Shut up! My father is not stupid! Don't you dare to say something like that about my Dad, ever again!" Alex yelled angrily.

David groaned. "Zack, bring them in," he told one of his men. And then he stepped up to the wall and slightly touched it. A piece of the wall moved aside and made space for a dark and narrow gangway.

"No one will see you. Get them into the room. You know which one. And then you need to make sure that they stay quiet and out of trouble, alright?"

Zack nodded and grabbed both kids unmercifully. He pushed them forward. "Get moving," he growled and they did. David watched them disappear into the gangway and once again touched the wall, the open space disappearing immediately. No, no one would find them. But now he would find Rick O'Connell. O'Connell was going to pay.

Alex and Sarah were pushed into a dark room with no windows and a thick door. Alex fell to the ground and yelled out when he hit something hard. Sarah screamed a little when she was thrown in. They lay on the ground and now that they were free again, they quickly ripped away the cloth that bounded their eyes. The last thing they saw was the door closing and the light going out. Sarah gasped. Darkness terrified her.

Alex took her hand. "Don't be scared. We'll find a way out of here", he said, standing. "Stay here. I have to find out what kind of room this is."

"How? It's so dark," Sarah whispered.

"I still have my hands and my ears and my nose, little one. Dad always said that losing one sense is not that bad as long as you have still your others. And he told me that if you lose one of them the others will replace it and will work even better," he told her.

Then he spread out his hands and began to touch the walls. They were cold and a little wet. "Cellar," he muttered.

"What?" Sarah asked and stood up too. It frightened her that she could hear but not see her brother.

"I think this room is in the cellar of some building. The walls are cold and wet, just like the walls in our house. Don't you remember?" Alex asked.

"I do remember," Sarah said and then she decided she would help him and tried to find out what she was touching. Her hands touched a big and hard thing. She let them travel further and realized that it was some kind of a box or case.

"Alex! There's something that feels like a box," she quickly said, proud that she had found something important.

"Yes, and here's another one and... here too. Sarah, the whole room is full of these boxes," he stated, his heart beating faster. He had to find out what was in these boxes.

His hands were searching for some kind of a lid. "I... I can't open it," he said.

But his sister was luckier. She found the lid quickly and she used all of her strength to open it. "Open," she yelled gladly.

Alex followed her voice and was soon by her side. He put his whole arm in the box and grabbed something. It was heavy and he needed both of his hands to pull it out. "What is it?" his sister asked curiously.

He stroked the object and suddenly found that he could open it. He felt paper surrounded by hard carton. All of sudden he knew what it was. "A book," he said. "It's a book."

Soon they found out that every box was filled with a heavy book. Sarah sneezed from the dust and Alex realized that these books had been in here a long time. The pages were made of thin paper that he could feel when he let his finger travel trough them, and it dawned on him that they were ancient. He wished he had light so that he could at last read as long as he was in here. He loved to read. Especially ancient books about Egypt.

"So we're in a room full of books. But how will this help us to get out?" Alex asked himself. He still couldn't figure out what kind of building they were hidden in. There were probably a lot of buildings in Cairo that yielded old books in their cellars.

Sarah sighed. "We can't get out of here. I just tried to open the door but there's no handle. There's no way to get out here," She sounded afraid.

Alex nodded while an idea began to form in his mind. "Well," he said, "we can't get out alone. But what if Zack would open the door? Then we could somehow bring him down and then we could flee."

"But why should Zack open the door?" Sarah asked.

A broad smile spread over Alex's face. "I've got an idea."

A/N: I know it's short and I promise the next one will be longer, I just don't seem to be able to write longer chapters ;-) Please review.


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